Mountaineer Brand Natural Heavy Duty Beard Balm | Timber Scent | Made in West Virginia | Beard Tamer | Conditions, Softens, Tames, Style | 2oz

I love this stuff. Okay. Full transparency. I’m a West Virginian. So maybe I have a little bias here. But I’ve lived in south Texas the last decade so there’s that. I’ve bought more beard balm, butters, oils and magic tamers than I can recall. Most are just fine but crazy expensive. Too expensive for what they do. And most don’t do it well. I have a lot of beard most of the time. But even when I don’t I need something good that conditions well but also holds it in place! Now I’m not saying this stuff is going to hold it down perfectly like aqaunet cemented hair in the 80’s. I still have to sold of remold it when I get off the bike. But day to day this stuff works really well at holding my beard in place. Even those really hot and windy days in the refinery. Also it smells good (I like the original cedar fir). ALSO, it doesn’t cost a crazy amount! It’s dense and firm and you gotta scrape it out with the back of your thumbnail or the edge of the lid. Let it melt between your palms and rub it deep into your beard all the way to your skin. It doesn’t have a greasiness to it. It’s natural bees wax and other natural oils. Comb it, brush it, and shape it. Boom. Done. It’s gonna hold its shape and look good and healthy all day. Great stuff! Please don’t raise the price.

I have been a frustrated shopper of beard products. If I'm going to wear whiskers, then I want and need them to look good. The wife wants me to look neat. I've been a fan of what a good Beard Oil can do for your beard. However, my whiskers are just coarse enough that they require more than just an oil provides to keep them tame and manly. Beard balm or beard wax. WHICH ONE??? I'm sure you're like me and have several products that you have tried. Strength of hold. Smoothing power, sheen, grit or no, etc. Each of us is different, so let me tell you my story. I groom my whiskers to 3/4" all over, and I trip my lips to keep the whiskers from hanging over and on them. This grooming method allows for the really stiff ones to stand out - they are just long enough. Neither the wife or I like that. I have literally tried several brands of products - all purchased based upon reviews - that I THOUGHT would work. Balm Vs. Wax. - This definition isn't clear or easy. Yes there are mustache waxes that are very hard and very stiff. There are beard wax products that seem more like a lotiony balm. And there are balms that are more like a wax. How do you decide????!!!!????? How do you compare "strong" hold with "strong" hold. What I've learned... All products will make their way to the skin and will serve the purpose of minimizing itching, and conditioning and moisturizing the skin too. I've learned that "softening and conditioning" products do NOT remove the coarseness of facial hair...just ask my wife. HOWEVER, a well groomed beard makes you look dashing, suave, AND debonair. (And the wife doesn't mind the whiskers when you look good.) I have used the Honest Amish products. I have used Smooth Viking. I have used oils. I have used the Detroit brand of Beard Balm. Up until purchasing and using the Mountaineer Brand of Heavy Duty Balm, I had most consistently used the Detroit Heavy Duty Beard Balm. What I like about Mountaineer Brand and what YOU will like about Mountaineer Brand - The first ingredient is beeswax. (Beeswax is what actually gives the holding power. So if you need taming, wax is NECESSARY. If you want a fluffy anything goes look, an oil or balm may be better for you.) I love the citrusy, earthy, lime and pine smell. It's a subtle reminder that you are a man's man, and you care enough to use a product that highlights your manliness - like you've just crashed your way through a grove of juniper and balsam - Not really. It is subtle yet wonderful. Technique - I use the back of my fingernail scraped against the balm to get a large "pea" size. I then transfer that to my palm and rub them back and forth to soften and liquefy the balm. I then go straight to my face applying to my problem areas first - from the top down - I'll explain later. I start with my chin and then my mustache, and finally my sideburns. You will read how some companies say to start at the roots and work your way out... maybe for those who have a LONG beard. I rub it on from TOP DOWN and then IMMEDIATELY use a fine toothed comb to work the balm into the whiskers, combing over and over and over until uniformly covered. This technique actually does get the balm down to the roots and onto my skin. It also allows for initial shaping, and by experience, whether I need to apple a little more product to look wonderful. Yes, it can get a little thickly applied in areas, but working it with the comb spreads and evens out the product and I haven't had any problem making it look spectacular. LASTLY - I recommend that you purchase a 100% horse hair brush. You can easily spend $40 for a good brush, or you can do what I did. Probably all of us that care about our manliness also polish our shoes. Go to your local discount store and buy a shoe polish buffing brush. For about $5 you will get a superior quality brush. You already know how to use it. Give your whiskers that last shaping and buff with your horse hair brush and you're ready to go. It's worth it. You'll look like the man that you are. The Detroit Heavy Beard Balm would be my second choice - based upon texture and hold. But, I really like the Mountaineer Brand Heavy Duty Balm. Anything worth doing is worth doing well - and a great product helps to make you more wonderful than you already are. Enjoy! I do. :-)

Update: Mountaineer reached out to me and offered to send me the Timber one to tryout instead. It was actually not too bad, to me it smells like saw dust, think the lumber section of a home improvement store. It's not overpowering just a light scent, and much better than the original. Unfortunately, it is still not for me. I do still think the product is good and the company is awesome for even trying to make things right. ________________________ The product itself works rather well. It's like a mustache wax, but for your beard. So the product is rather hard, you have to scrape it with the back of your nail to get it out. Then rub it in your palms to warm it up and melt it. My only issue is the smell, I am not a fan of the original one. They make other products that smell great, this is not one of them, at least to me. I would love to continue using this product if they were made with more of their regular beard balm scents.

Great smell. Holds good.

I have been experimenting with beard care products for a little over a year now. I have tried everything from oils to balms to waxes and while each have provided my beard an exceptional softness I tend to lean towards the balms because they offer more control without making my man muff too stiff and waxy. I intended on purchasing Mountaineer Beard Tamer with pine tar essential oils but that one wasn't offered with prime so I opted for this one. Let me first say that I am not sensitive to smells but this product has a weird odor. I've seen other reviewers comment on the smell and while it doesn't smell like sandwiches like one reviewer commented, it does leave you with an indistinguishable smell throughout the day, especially when the wind is blowing through your luscious man locks. Upon first receiving this product the smell was rather pleasant. It literally smelled like wood but as I use it more the smell becomes too irritating to the senses. The smell is more reminiscent of particle board, a mixture of wood and chemicals despite the product's "all natural" claim. Maybe I am being too harsh. The smell does subside but I do get whiffs of it when I am outside. Overall, the product does as intended and I like the feel of it compared to some other balms that I've tried as it is not too greasy. I will probably try their other fragrances if they become available through prime.

Hard and waxy. You need to scratch it with your thumb nail. That’s not only a balm, that’s a grooming wax. A definite keeper and order again.

Good value, works well.